OF THE CAROLINAS & GEORGIA

Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Magnoliids: Magnoliales

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Magnolia tripetala   FAMILY Magnoliaceae   Go to FSUS key



SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Magnolia tripetala   FAMILY Magnoliaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 3 (1997)

Magnolia tripetala

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 080-02-006:

Magnolia tripetala   FAMILY Magnoliaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)

Magnolia tripetala

 

COMMON NAME:
Umbrella Magnolia, Umbrella-tree


         To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.

image of Magnolia tripetala, Umbrella Magnolia, Umbrella-tree

Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905)    mtna_i_380

        

image of Magnolia tripetala, Umbrella Magnolia, Umbrella-tree

USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913    pnd_matr_001_lvd

        

image of Magnolia tripetala, Umbrella Magnolia, Umbrella-tree

Alan S. Weakley    asw_3432549040344308

April    Orange County    NC

North Carolina Botanical Garden

image of Magnolia tripetala, Umbrella Magnolia, Umbrella-tree

JK Marlow    jkm140417_021

April    Sevier County    TN

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Twigs strike out at right angles from a branch, then turn parallel to it, per Trees Worth Knowing (Rogers, 1924).

image of Magnolia tripetala, Umbrella Magnolia, Umbrella-tree

JK Marlow    jkm140417_989

April    Sevier County    TN

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Terminal buds long, purplish, glabrous, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).

image of Magnolia tripetala, Umbrella Magnolia, Umbrella-tree

JK Marlow    jkm140417_993

April    Sevier County    TN

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Twigs stout, light brown, slightly fluted at areas of clustered leaf scars, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).

image of Magnolia tripetala, Umbrella Magnolia, Umbrella-tree

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_m_tripetala_umb

April    Fulton County    GA

Atlanta History Center

Flowers large, white, with an unpleasant musty odor, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).

image of Magnolia tripetala, Umbrella Magnolia, Umbrella-tree

Dan Whitten    sdw_magnolia1

April    Sevier County    TN

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

image of Magnolia tripetala, Umbrella Magnolia, Umbrella-tree

Dan Whitten    sdw_magnoliatripetala

April    Sevier County    TN

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

image of Magnolia tripetala, Umbrella Magnolia, Umbrella-tree

JK Marlow    jkm0505k_09

May    Haywood County    NC

Corneille Bryan Native Garden

The shape of the leaf forms a "V" at the base, per Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers (Campbell, Hutson, Sharp, & Hutson, 1962).

image of Magnolia tripetala, Umbrella Magnolia, Umbrella-tree

JK Marlow    jkm120523_258

May    Graham County    NC

Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest

image of Magnolia tripetala, Umbrella Magnolia, Umbrella-tree

JK Marlow    jkm160506_619

May    Jackson County    NC

High Hampton Inn

image of Magnolia tripetala, Umbrella Magnolia, Umbrella-tree

JK Marlow    jkm160506_625

May    Jackson County    NC

High Hampton Inn

image of Magnolia tripetala, Umbrella Magnolia, Umbrella-tree

JK Marlow    jkm140816_680

August    Jackson County    NC

High Hampton Inn

image of Magnolia tripetala, Umbrella Magnolia, Umbrella-tree

JK Marlow    jkm150827_880

August    Haywood County    NC

Corneille Bryan Native Garden

image of Magnolia tripetala, Umbrella Magnolia, Umbrella-tree

JK Marlow    jkm150827_882

August    Haywood County    NC

Corneille Bryan Native Garden

Fruits conelike, 6-15cm long, an aggregate of leathery follicles, per Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988).


click here to see other plants that look similar to this COMPARE fruits that are an aggregate of follicles

image of Magnolia tripetala, Umbrella Magnolia, Umbrella-tree

JK Marlow    jkm150827_883

August    Haywood County    NC

Corneille Bryan Native Garden

image of Magnolia tripetala, Umbrella Magnolia, Umbrella-tree

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_magnolia_tripetala_6

August        

Resembling M. fraseri, but its much larger leaves are tapered at the base, per South Carolina's Native Magnolias (Figlar, 2007).


click here to see other plants that look similar to this COMPARE leaves of Magnolia species

image of Magnolia tripetala, Umbrella Magnolia, Umbrella-tree

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_magnolia_tripetala_9

August        

image of Magnolia tripetala, Umbrella Magnolia, Umbrella-tree

JK Marlow    jkm190913_1402

September    Sevier County    TN

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

image of Magnolia tripetala, Umbrella Magnolia, Umbrella-tree

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_m_tripetala_cc_9

September        

Cloudland Canyon State Park

image of Magnolia tripetala, Umbrella Magnolia, Umbrella-tree

Patrick D. McMillan    pdmmmacrophylla_tripetal

Month Unknown        

On left M. tripetala, on right M. macrophylla.

image of Magnolia tripetala, Umbrella Magnolia, Umbrella-tree

Patrick D. McMillan    pdmmtripetala_abbeville

Month Unknown    Abbeville County    SC

False whorls of leaves at branch tips impart an umbrella-like appearance, per South Carolina's Native Magnolias (Figlar, 2007).

image of Magnolia tripetala, Umbrella Magnolia, Umbrella-tree

Patrick D. McMillan    pdmmtripetala_wl1

Month Unknown        

 

 

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Magnolia tripetala   FAMILY Magnoliaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Magnolia tripetala   FAMILY Magnoliaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 3
Magnolia tripetala

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 080-02-006:
Magnolia tripetala   FAMILY Magnoliaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Magnolia tripetala

 

Find by SCIENTIFIC NAME:

900

Tree
Perennial

Habitat: Mesic forests, ravines, per Weakley's Flora

Native to the Carolinas & Georgia

Common in Piedmont & GA Mountains (rare in GA Coastal Plain) (uncommon elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)

map
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.

Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)

LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate, crowded at branch tips & appearing whorled ("umbrella-like")

FLOWER:
Spring
White
Radially symmetrical
3 sepals
6-12 petals
Numerous stamens
Bisexual

FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Aggregate of follicles

 

TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!



 


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